Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Chaos Control
by Prince Jacque
Summary: In the Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect is the concept that a changed detail, no matter how minor, will create a major shift in the universe. The flap of a butterfly's wings today could responsible for the hurricane tomorrow.
1. Chapter 1

**You know the post about the character who knows they're an anime protagonist and they do everything in their power just to live a normal life? It's been twisted around and modified a lot, but one day, I kept making a bunch of joke posts online about the concept of being in the Joestar bloodline and realizing that you'll eventually have to face Dio and/or some other great evil caused by him. In my jokes, this character was called "Nono" instead of "Jojo" because they outright refused any requests to take on the role that comes with being a Jojo. It was all pretty much fun and games until I actually built a character profile around them and realized that the execution of such a character wouldn't really be that funny...like at all. So please heed these tags!**

**Warnings: period/culture-typical queerphobia, profanity, blood, violence, death.**

* * *

**[1999]**

They had thoroughly done their research and made sure that everything was airtight, but still, the fear that their petition would be denied gripped tightly at their gut. Waiting in the courthouse with the other fancily dressed adults, they felt alienated. With how long they had been wearing their lace ankle-length skirt and cotton blouse, they were sure they looked-and smelled-like a person who had just walked in from the streets. Though, the opinions of strangers were the least of their worries.

A man poked his head out of the door across from them.

"Number five?"

They looked at their ticket, which they knew was eight, and a different person answered to the man's call.

"I wonder if eight is a dangerous number in Japan, too," they wondered.

* * *

Elizabeth never held any memory of her birth family before becoming a Joestar. Erina took the place of her parents, one killed and the other waiting. The waiting parent sat on the porch with his waiting daughter, watching the horizon for their other half of the family to return.

The waiting daughter known as Bethany blossomed into a knowing woman. She had long since put together the pieces in her mind of what transpired on the boat back in 1889. That conclusion changed, however, when two men came to the doorstep and told the half-family that Elizabeth was alive, but a murderer.

This was not an answer that Bethany was satisfied with, and so she went on to investigate the events on her own, everything from the day her mother stepped off of that porch to the minute the men's knuckles rapped their door.

In spirit of the sister she knew only for a few months and the family who took her in for the rest of her life, Bethany adopted the name Joestar.

Bethany Joestar's research led her to India.

* * *

"Number six?"

* * *

The Red Stone of Aja, the Stone Mask, Hamon, the Pillar Men, vampires, zombies, all were captured in the ink of Bethany's journals. They never left her side, even when she met the man that would bear her child and assist with her research, the journals stayed within arm's reach.

But obtaining knowledge of the fire brings the risk of being burned. That was the lesson Bethany learned on March 28th, 1909.

The cave was dim, but not dark. The faded ends of sunlight were still able to guide the couple's way. They should have been safe, they told one another.

But then the air shifted.

Abhay looked up from the mineral he had been observing. He was deeper in the cave, and he had been crouching beside a large cluster of stones, but Bethany was closer to the mouth of the cave, standing where it was open.

Regardless, they weren't so far away from one another that Bethany couldn't hear Abhay's muttered, "Turn back, Beth," which shook with controlled fear.

The duo live by a rule: If they have to run, under no circumstances does one stop for the other. It was cruel, they knew, but it was better if one survived with the information collected, then have both die with their research. Regardless, Bethany reached out to grab her lover's hand and pull him alongside.

She gripped tightly and never let go as she ran. Even when she stumbled slightly over the rocks and uneven soil, her hand remained like a vice. The couple had evaded zombies and vampires by stepping into the sunlight before, and this should have been no different. But when she stepped outside and turned around, she realized she was alone.

Bethany looked into her hand and saw that she was only holding Abhay's glove.

She stared into the cave, empty and unassuming.

And again, she had become that waiting daughter.

* * *

"So, what's your story?"

It took them a moment to realize that the man sitting beside the window was speaking to them.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The man leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees. "Nobody changes their name on a whim," he said, "You seem pretty young. Runaway from home or something?"

Even if they felt safe telling the man their reason, they wouldn't know where to start. It was a complete and utter shitshow that brought them to where they were now. All they could muster was a shrug and a, "You could say that, I guess."

"Number seven?"

The man looked at his ticket, then stood up and entered the room.

* * *

"This world is chaotic and without mercy. If you ever bring children into it, please, do whatever you can to have them live as happily as the folks that walk up and down the streets without care. Promise me that, Jodh."

Those were the last words Bethany Joestar bestowed upon her son's ears. Jodh had just reached his twenties when he watched his mother slip away.

Tuberculosis was the monster that gripped her heart, but to him, it wasn't as frightening as the monsters she taught him about through her journals. Jodh loved her dearly for that. She taught him the warning signs so that he would have time to gather everything valuable to him and leave before danger could snatch it all away. Unfortunately, that was all that Bethany could do for him.

When she passed away, there was very little money left for Jodh. The majority of it had been collected by his father's family, who blamed Bethany for his death. They also refused to take responsibility for Jodh because they believed that he was a bastard child born from another man, and that Bethany claimed that Abhay was the father as a form of blackmail to get him to help her with research.

With that, Jodh found home in the ghettos of Ishla, India.

* * *

"Number eight"

* * *

It was in the heart of Ishla that Jodh met the love of his life, carrying who would soon be his child...

* * *

"...Jyoti Joestar to Noshi Inoue. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then sign here."

Their hands trembled as they wrote the Japanese characters, looking back and making sure they were translating everything correctly in their mind before writing it down. That, along with the frigid air of the steril space made it hard to keep from shivering.

"And...as for the issue regarding your gender..."

They stopped as the woman spoke, the pen creating an ink blot on the page.

"We see in your documentation that you are intersex, and your I.D. in India labelled you as "other"," the woman continued, "We do not have that option in Japan. Would you instead like to be documented as female?"

She looked at their skirt and blouse as she said that. The crumbled up note in their bag had told them that they would be safer in Japan than they would be in the ghettos of India. They wouldn't be forced to have surgery because they were an adult moving in, not an infant being born on Japanese soil.

"Yes," they said.

* * *

Noshi stepped outside, the warm summer breeze soothing the goosebumps on their skin. One hand held onto their bag that contained everything they currently owned. The other protected their eyes from the sun as they scanned the parking lot, but they weren't looking for a car.

They were looking for the young woman sitting on the curb waiting for them. The two made eye contact and the latter smiled, proud yet relaxed at the same time.

Noshi and the woman walked towards one another, meeting at the bottom of the cement staircase that led up to the courthouse.

"Were you able to book the hotel room?" asked Noshi.

The woman smirked. "Of course," she said, "And you know I got a steal."

Noshi's features relaxed. "Perfect," they sighed, "I'm so ready to get out of these clothes and get some actual rest."

"Lemme see your I.D." the woman said, putting out her hand.

Noshi flippantly pulled out the card from their bag and handed it to her.

"Ms. Ino...woo, Ino-wee, Inoue." The woman gave a soft whistle. "You sure picked a hard name to go by."

Noshi rolled their eyes. "Whatever, foreigner," they joked, "C'mon, let's go to the hotel."

* * *

**Ishla is a fictional town. Eight is considered an unlucky number in India.**

**"Fun" fact: Abhay means "invincible".**


	2. Chapter 2

Noshi flopped onto the bed was a loud sigh, their sandy bath towel blending in almost seamlessly with the sandy-colored sheets.

"Sweet. They've got an ironing set in the closet," said the woman when she opened the wardrobe beside the dresser, "That means we can dry our clothes off right after we wash them in the tub. No laundry fee for us."

"Good, and we'll look nice, too," groggily replied Noshi, "We already don't have many credentials for jobs, but at least we won't turn off employers with wrinkled clothes."

It didn't take Noshi long to fall asleep after that single observation. Once the pressures on their body were relieved by the comfort of the bed, they didn't even hear the knocking. Nor did they hear the woman's casual speculation that it was the cleaning lady or other service checking to make sure everything was in order. Though, they did hear the baritone voice asking about someone named Jyoti Joestar.

Their entire being ceased as they listened in on the conversation across the room.

"No, I think you've got the wrong room," excused the woman, "There's only two people living here, Kumari Devarukhkar and Noshi Inoue."

"Ah, so you're also from India," said the voice, "And you're sure there's no relation?"

Kumari gave a short chuckle. "A bit presumptuous to think every Indian in Japan knows each other, don'tcha think?"

There was a pause, and the knot in Noshi's chest tightened even further. It had only been a few hours since they had stepped off of the plane, and already someone was tracking them down? Who? And what for?

* * *

Jotaro looked past the smugly grinning woman, noticing the second aforementioned roommate lying in bed. Their hair was tied up, exposing their upper back. Showing prominently against the dull brown colors of the entire scene was a purple star tattoo on their shoulder. The color and design were far too artificial to be mistaken for the birthmark he and his kin shared. Still, he felt that it was a bit too coincidental. It was worth looking into, he figured, but not yet.

"Suppose so," he dismissed, already stepping away from the door, "Sorry to bother you, then."

"No harm done, have a nice...eh," Kumari's farewell trailed off when Jotaro began walking down the hall without giving one in return. She gave a small shrug and closed the door, paying careful attention to locking it.

"Phew! Mr. Ocean Man had me shaking for a minute there," she exhaled in a lackluster tone through a tired smile.

Noshi, on the other hand, was in no joking mood. "What the hell was he looking for me for?" they hissed, "We just got here. Nobody in this country should know who we are, yet."

"Maybe he's an associate of your old man?" posed Kumari as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, "I mean, with the money and information he was able to get for us, he probably had some connections outside of that dusty old city, right?"

Noshi's shoulders eased, "I hope you're right," they said while looking over at the door, "It would do us some good to have a little support system, especially if the guy is native to Japan."

"And even if Mr. Ocean Man ain't too friendly, we can take him," said Kumari, "I'll heat up the drawer handle so if he sneaks in and tries to take anything, he'll get burned."

"Can you do that for that long?" Noshi asked.

"Guess we'll find out."

* * *

They were sure she was going to die.

Such a young girl suffering such an intense fever wouldn't last in an area where the only doctor's medical supplies were brittle from age and poor quality.

All they could do was rub onion slices on her small, beaten feet and put a cold towel on her forehead. The former always worked wonders for reducing the discomfort children and babies would have during fevers, but for Kumari it didn't seem to have an effect.

The heavyset woman holding her anxiously looked out of the window, seeing the sun high in the sky. It had to be nearing noon.

"Daksha! Come here," called out the caretaker.

A boy playing amongst the other kids halted at the sound of his name, and came over to the woman.

"I've got to go check on the babies," she told him, shuffling Kumari's swaddled figure towards the boy, "Put her towel in this bucket of water when it gets warm, and rub her feet with the onions. If anything happens, go get the older kids, okay?"

"Okay, Āyā," said the boy, kneeling beside the small figure as the woman hurried off into another part of the home.

Daksha never really interacted with Kumari due to the age difference, but he knew of her when she came to the orphanage as an infant. He remembered seeing the man across the yard talking with Āyā about the baby in his rail thin arms. His hair was wiry with bald patches exposing his faded brown skin. Daksha was too far away to hear the conversation, but he could see the disgusted sneer on Āyā's face. Her thick arms twitched towards the man in anticipation of him handing the baby over throughout their conversation. When he finally did, she seemed relieved.

Drug addicts weren't uncommon in Ishla, and Daksha knew that Āyā fervently despised them. The danger they would put children in was enough to make her shake with rage at the mere thought of it. This was one of those dangers.

If the man was abusing drugs at the time he had Kumari, she could have been born with either an addiction, herself, or a crippling ailment. This created a fear that whatever was ailing her now was the result of her father's mistakes.

"Daksha…"

The boy was almost startled by the girl's frail voice. "Y-Yeah?"

It was then that he noticed Kumari had opened her eyes very slightly, and through the slit of the right eyelids, he could have sworn that he saw an icy blue glint where her usual brown iris was.

"Who is that…?" she asked, pointing behind him with a trembling hand.

However, when Daksha turned around, he saw nothing. The female figure composed of ice and flames was invisible to him.

* * *

"Geez, it's dark," Noshi hissed, "Are you sure there are any stores open this late?"

"Yeah, I saw a 24-hour store a few blocks from here," said Kumari, "Even if they're closed, I saw tons of those food-machine-thingies around here."

"Ugh, thank god," groaned Noshi, clutching their stomach.

After walking for a few seconds in silence, Kumari ducked down and swiped something off of the sidewalk. "Yoink!" she said, taking a coin into her hand, "Five yen."

"That's gre-" Noshi's congratulations stopped as their expression grew pensive. Their nerves prickled in that split second as they thought, "_Someone is about to strike._"

Kumari dropped down to her knees with a surprised grunt, clutching her arm as it trembled.

"Kumari?!" Noshi was about to kneel down to their friend's level, but their attention was directed to the darkness.

"_There's two of them_," they thought, "_One's getting closer, and the other is... No way, is this a-?_"

"Just couldn't keep your hands to yourself, could you?"

Noshi and Kumari watched as a man walked out of the shadows. His figure was briefly illuminated by a street lamp. In that moment, the man's unassuming appearance was fully visible.

"H-Hey man," stuttered Kumari, clearly in pain from the weight on her arm, "We don't want any trouble, now. If it's the yen you want, I'll give it to you." She even tried to let go of the coin, but her fingers remained pressed around the metal.

The man's lips twisted into a mocking grimace. "And what could I buy for a measly five yen?" he spat, "Now, if you'd hand me both of your bags then I might be willing to bargain."

"Don't let him have it," Kumari immediately told Noshi before they could even think of a way to avoid that sacrifice.

The man glared at the kneeling woman and suddenly she was flush against the sidewalk.

"Chudaee!" Noshi yelled, flinching back, "Call off your Stand!"

The man gave an amused chuckle. "Oh? So you're a Stand user, too?"

"She's not." Kumari pushed herself up just enough to look at the man. "But I am."

Temperature gripped the back of the man's sweater with her left hand, setting it ablaze with a simple snap of her wrist.

The man yelped, scrambling to remove the garment from his body, which only caused the fire to spread to his hair and skin.

Being so thoroughly caught off-guard, his Stand released its pressure from Kumari's arm, and she was able to release the coin.

"That was a nasty trick," she commented as she stood up, "I've only heard about you guys, but this is pretty low."

Noshi then kicked the yen coin into a nearby sewer grate.

"Would you feel safer if I made sure he won't trace us down later?" the adult asked.

Kumari grinned. "You bet I would."

* * *

Koichi cringed as he watched the adult land very precise hits on the man's body, his figure spasming with each impact. They were not blunt punches or slaps, however, but firm jabs with the sides of their hands in a very uniform manner.

The man's body crumpled to the ground like a puppet cut from its strings. Noshi casually stepped over his body, and stomped out the fire on the sweater before proceeded to follow Kumari.

Koichi waited until Noshi and Kumari were out of sight before rushing towards the phonebooth down the street.

Inside the brightly lit box, the teen dialed a number.

"Jotaro? I think you were right about the incoming Joestar."

* * *

**"Āyā" roughly translates into "nurse/nursemaid/baby sitter/nurserymaid/dry nurse" in Hindi. I thought it'd be more appropriate that the kids would call the caretaker that instead of her actual name or something like "mom".**

**"Chudaee" means "fuck" as an exclamation in Hindi.**

**And you may have already guessed, but Kumari's Stand is named after the Sean Paul song.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Thought so," Jotaro uttered into the phone as his other hand flipped through the open file on his desk. The lamp at his desk colored the handwritten family tree in a soft yellow light.

At the top were the names "_Elizabeth "Lisa Lisa" Joestar_" and "_Bethany Joestar_". Jotaro could see his own placement at the very bottom, as well as other familiar names such as Josuke, Joseph, and Holly just a little bit above. The branch of Bethany Joestar's side was much more linear, and it ended at Jyoti Joestar.

On the other page was a mostly blank profile of Jyoti.

The only things that were filled out were the name, birthdate, and nationality. What was really preventing the Speedwagon Foundation from finding official records of Jyoti was the inability to find the city from which they were born. The little they were able to get was from word of mouth. It was a miracle that any of it was accurate. It was an even bigger miracle that Jyoti wound up moving to Morioh.

"_Stand users attract Stand users,_" Jotaro thought sarcastically to himself.

"It's too late at night to confront her again," he told Koichi, "We'll wait until we can get a hold of Josuke. He might be able to convince her. We also don't want to scare her off by confronting her too soon. She doesn't seem to want people to know she's here."

* * *

Kumari and Noshi had agreed to meet a Café Deux Magots at three in the afternoon. They had agreed that if one of them hadn't shown up, it was safe to assume that they were asked to get to work on the spot. Though, checking on the place the other had gone wasn't dismissed as a needless precaution either.

The meetup at the cafe was supposed to be a celebratory meal for getting jobs, but the two only sat with glasses of water and a slightly annoyed waiter checking to see if they would actually order something.

"Here I was worried that having dry hair and faded clothes would turn off employers," said Kumari as she twirled the straw.

"It's just ridiculous," complained Noshi, "You need a home address to get a job, but we can't buy a home unless we get the money from a job? What kind of loop-around law is that?"

"Maybe there's another place where that law doesn't apply," suggested Kumari.

Noshi sighed. "I don't want to take that gamble. Dad's letter said we would have the easiest time in this town," they said, "If we deviate from that, we might end up wasting travel fee on an even worse place."

"Gamble, huh?" said Kumari, "D'you think we could gamble with arm wrestling or the knife game here? You almost never lost a match of either."

"No way…!" sputtered Noshi, "We're not in the ghettos anymore. No one is going to place a bet on how long I can keep from stabbing myself." They then grumbled, "Besides, we had to get rid of all of our blades before we even got to the airport. And I doubt there's any just lying around in a nice town like this."

"True, true."

Kumari finished up the remnants of her drink, feeling full from the third glass. Though, she would have much rather been full from the various pastries and sandwiches the customers inside were having.

"Could you cool off my drink, Kuma?" asked Noshi, "I didn't get much ice this time."

"Sure." Temperature appeared and stretched out her hand along with Kumari, clutching the drink.

* * *

Although the Stand had a feminine body, it didn't shadow the woman's. While Kumari had notably heavier curves, the Stand was slim, if not average sized. The head appeared to be sculpted of ice whilst having a flaming ponytail flickering above.

Like most Stands, there wasn't much clothing to be mentioned. A bronze loincloth barely brushed the tops of its orange and blue legs. A pair of large sleeves corresponded with the similarly colored arms. The right sleeve was composed of jagged icicles, while the left was that of dancing flames.

The Stand's torso was black and had a thermometer across its stomach. Jotaro noticed the red fluid within it shrink as it reached for the cup.

"Ah, there it is," Josuke noticed after looking up from his menu, "What do we say to her?"

"Whatever you can think of," the older of the two said, getting up from his chair.

A complaint about the vague explanation stopped at Josuke's teeth once he realized that he had to start following Jotaro.

Once they were a few steps away from the table, he noticed Kumari look up and fix her posture.

"Why hello again, Mr. Oceanman. Can I help you?"

The first thing that caught Josuke's attention were her eyes. While one was warm brown, the other was a chilling blue. He had only heard of different colored eyes before, but he had never seen them in real life.

The second thing that Josuke noticed was the way her calm smile complimented her almost sultry voice. The fact that her blouse was shamelessly undone and had the shirttail tied under her bust as a sort of makeshift bra made him glad that Okuyasu and Koichi weren't there. Koichi would just be a nervous wreck, and Okuyasu, well, he didn't like to think about it.

Noshi had turned around upon hearing Kumari's greeting, their shoulders jerked upwards and their teeth grit with anxiety.

"I believe you can, _Jyoti Joestar_," said Jotaro.

For the briefest moment, Kumari's grin faltered. "Oh? Did you forget my name already?" she asked, "I don't blame you. Devarukhkar is a pain to translate."

"From my understanding, you've been hiding your identity," continued Jotaro, "But I think it will comfort you to know that we're from the Joestar lineage, too."

Noshi's surprised gasp overpowered Kumari's.

The man gripped the brim of his hat in a sort of salute. "I'm Jotaro Kujo, grandson of Joseph Joestar." He then stepped to the side to give the duo a better view of Josuke. "He's Josuke Higashikata, son of Joseph Joestar."

"I'm sure you meant that the other way around?" chuckled Kumari, "That _he's_ the grandson and _you're_ the son of this Joseph Joestar?"

Jotaro averted his eyes. "That's not relevant right now," he said.

Noshi turned in their seat so that they were facing both males. "If you want honest proof that we're not who you're looking for, we can show you our I.D.'s," they said.

"Hey now." Although Kumari's tone was still even-tempered, there were still hints of apprehension in her face. "S'not very wise to loan a couple of strangers your I.D."

Noshi opened the bag sitting in their lap, which Josuke had assumed was a nothing more than a flour sack. Much to his surprise, Noshi pulled out their I.D. card.

"We're not going to loan them," they said, "We'll just show them."

Kumari hesitated for a moment before digging through her own bag, which Josuke noted also looked like a worn flour sack.

Jotaro suppressed a groan at having to walk up to each of them to study their I.D.'s.

Noshi felt their heart thump as his intimidating figure craned his neck to view the card in their hand. "_He shouldn't have a problem with it,_" they thought, "_It's an authentic I.D. Nothing's wrong with it._"

Jotaro's gaze shifted to Noshi's, staying for an uncomfortable few seconds. For Noshi, it lasted a lifetime.

"Do you know what every Joestar has in common?" he finally asked.

Noshi shook their head. "Why would I if this is my first time hearing of them?" they asked.

Jotaro ignored the question and brushed his hand beneath the collar of his shirt.

"_What is he_-" Noshi was prepared to have to fend off a concealed weapon of some kind when Jotaro confused them by leaning over and revealing his star-shaped birthmark.

"Josuke, show her yours," said Jotaro.

The boy paused, not expecting to be called out for such a request all of a sudden.

"_Maybe if he told me what he planned to do before actually doing it_…" he mentally griped as he removed his jacket.

After tying the sleeves around his waist, he turned his back to Noshi. "Everyone from the Joestar side of the family has this birthmark." He felt that they deserved at least that explanation. "So you have one, too, right?"

Noshi swallowed, trying to hide their shock. "_What the hell? What are the odds that they've got a birthmark exactly like…?_"

They took in a brief breath before answering. "Not at all," they said, crossing their arms, "I've never seen anything like that."

"Then what about the star tattoo you have on your shoulder?"

Jotaro's words surprised both Kumari and Noshi.

"H-How could you even know something like that?" spat Noshi in an accusatory tone.

"You had your back to the door when she answered." Jotaro pointed to Kumari, who lowered her eyes in a subtle frown.

"I swear, I only got that tattoo from Tarabai back at home!" Noshi argued, "It was just a dumb dare, a-and she didn't even ask me to pay for it! She just wanted somebody to test out her new tools she got from-"

"She's telling the truth," Kumari interjected, her calm voice contrasting with Noshi's nervous tone, "I've known her since we were knee-high. The only marks she's ever had on her body were a few scars from a few alleycat scuffles."

"See?" Noshi undid the first few buttons on their blouse and pulled it over their toned shoulder. "It's just a misunderstanding. Anyone could have a star tattoo on their shoulder."

Josuke studied the tattoo in surprise. It was bigger than his or Jotaro's birthmark, and more elaborate.

"_But that's a pretty big coincidence_," he thought, "_Something's off about this whole thing._"

Jotaro looked at Josuke, silently concurring with him, but also…

"_Damn, he wants me to try to convince her, doesn't he?_"

"We're sorry about inconveniencing you guys when you're just trying to enjoy your day, but it's really important to us that we find this family member," the boy tried.

"It is?" questioned Noshi while trying not to let their curiosity show, "Why?"

"Well, when we heard that she was coming to Japan alone, we figured that something might have happened to her parents," Josuke continued, marveling at his own ability to spin a tale, "My mom and I were gonna make arrangements for her to settle in."

"Arrangements?" echoed Noshi.

"Yeah, like, we have a guest room that's never been used," said Josuke, trying to think of other selling points.

The boy tried to hold his friendly smile, but it was difficult under Noshi's analytical gaze. It reminded him of that skeptical scowl he would get from his mother whenever he lied about something, only more intense.

"_I wouldn't be surprised if she did turn out to be related_," he thought.

Noshi's features then softened.

"My mother was married into the family, so I'm not blood-related," they admitted.

Kumari turned a surprised gaze at the other.

"I changed my name so that I wouldn't get attention from anyone who's ever antagonized the Joestars," Noshi continued, lowering the volume of their voice, "So please use my new name."

* * *

"There's no way you're not cheating, Jojo!"

The adolescent showed off their bare arms to the boy. "How? It's not like I'm hiding anything under my sleeves!" they said, "Now pay up."

The boy sitting across from them grumbled as he slid off his shoe and pulled out a couple of paper bills.

Jyoti grabbed the money with the hand not holding the switchblade and put it in their own shoe.

"Man, I've never seen anyone play the knife game without getting a single scratch," said the boy, "You gotta teach me your technique one day."

"I keep telling you, Krishna, it's not a technique," said Jyoti as they waved the blade around, "You have to have a sharp eye and be precise."

"In other words, just don't aim for your fingers?"

"Yeah!"

The boy groaned and rolled his eyes.

A girl around the same age group jogged over to the duo. "Jojo! Krishna! They're done setting up the tattoo station!" she called out.

* * *

"Noshi," Jotaro cut in, "Are you familiar with a particular arrow?"

The youth turned to the taller male. "Huh? Like a symbol?" they questioned.

Before Jotaro could correct them, Kumari gasped, "Is it the arrow I got hit with as a kid?"

All three looked at the woman whose hand covered her mouth in shock.

"You mean the one you saw before you got that fever?" Noshi jumped in, "You said that was a fever dream."

"I thought so, everyone thought so, but…" Kumari looked at Noshi's drink, "That was when I started seeing Temperature. I thought she was a fever dream, too, but then I found out..."

"It was your Stand," said Jotaro.

Kumari gave a dry laugh, running her hand through her wavy hair in disbelief. "Guess Noshi was right, we really do attract each other," she said, "You can thank me for this little family reunion later."

Jotaro, not keen on deviating from the topic, pressed on. "Those arrows have the power to give Stands to anyone it hits, as long as the person has the fighting spirit to bear one. We aren't sure how many there are, but we've gotten a hold of one, so far. We need help getting the others."

"Wait, why are you two looking for something so dangerous?" asked Noshi, "Isn't this something that, I don't know, a higher authority should be in charge of?"

"It is," Jotaro said as he reached into his jacket pocket, "I'm affiliated with the Speedwagon Foundation. Part of their research goes into the supernatural, specifically Stands."

He showed Noshi a badge confirming this. Kumari leaned in to inspect it, as well.

"It's also through the Speedwagon Foundation that I was able to hear about your arrival to Morioh," continued Jotaro.

"Huh?!" gasped Noshi, "How long have you known about me?"

"Only about a few weeks," coolly said Jotaro as he pocketed his badge, "All I knew was that there would be a Joestar moving in from India."

"Maybe your old man told them," piped up Kumari, "And maybe that's how he came across the mon-the stuff we needed to travel here." Even if the two men were trustworthy, Kumari wasn't eager to let others know about the money they had.

Jotaro shot down that suggestion with a "We didn't hear from Jodh Joestar. We had intel."

"But you know my dad's name."

"Again, intel."

The idea that this foundation knew about a journey that was supposed to let Noshi and Kumari live subtle, quiet lives was disconcerting for Noshi.

They looked towards Josuke, whose expression seemed more honest than the stoic straight face Jotaro wore.

Catching their gaze, Josuke felt the need to speak again. "You can trust Jotaro. He's helped save this town from dangerous Stand users before," he said, leaning on the man in question, "Something the police couldn't even do."

Noshi squinted at Jotaro. "Earlier, you said that Kumari had a Stand," they said, "Coupled with what he just told me, does that mean you're a Stand user, too?"

"Everyone in the Joestar family line has a Stand," said Jotaro, "If someone gets hit with the arrow, they can pass it down to their children."

Noshi rubbed their chin in thought. "I've heard of that…" they said, "That would definitely explain why I don't have a Stand."

Jotaro inclined his head. "You seem knowledgeable about Stands," he said, "Your assimilation into the foundation might be easier than expected."

As if a switch had been turned on, Noshi lifted their head.

"Wait, don't tell me that when you said you needed help finding the arrows…" they looked to Josuke, then back at Jotaro, then scoffed. "You sure have a lot of _gendon_ asking that of me!"

Noshi stood up from the table. "Do you think the Joestar family name is a contract that automatically signs me up for martyrdom? Do you know the things I've seen without even trying to get involved with the supernatural things that follow this bloodline? The people around me have died and suffered because of all the danger you people attract!" They jabbed their finger into Jotaro's chest at the end of their sentence. "You may not realize this, but not all of us want to sell our souls to be a hero. Some of us just want to live peaceful lives."

Josuke interjected upon hearing the haunting phrase.

"Wait, wait! You've got it all wrong-"

"I don't even wanna hear from you," said Noshi as they put their hand out to Josuke, "You baited me in by saying I'd just get to see the rest of my family. You _tricked_ me into revealing my identity. Obviously, you have no shame."

They then turned back to Jotaro to continue their tyrade.

"And you chose me solely based on the fact that I'm a part of the family? You know nothing about me, but assumed that I would have no problem throwing my life away for the greater good? You could have chosen another Stand user like Kumari! Instead, you let family pride choose someone as useless as m-"

Noshi hadn't even realized that it was Jotaro's fist that collided with their face until their back scraped against the concrete.

There was a commotion, warm liquid pouring down their face, and then unbearable pain. The yellow skies started to fade out as the pain closed in on Noshi.

"_Ah_," they thought, "_Is this seriously how I'm going to die?_"

* * *

**"Gendon" is the closest Hindi translation of "balls" I could find.**


	4. Chapter 4

"If she doesn't wake up in a few seconds, doesn't that mean she has a concussion?"

"Yeah, but she's probably snoozing right now."

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"The poor chick's had hardly a bite to eat or a wink of sleep this past week. Normally, she could take a thousand blows like that."

"But he broke her nose!"

"Yeah, but she'd still be down to box with a broken nose."

Josuke stood up from his crouched position near the couch and began to walk out of the foyer.

"Where ya going?" asked Kumari.

"You said she hasn't had anything to eat, right? I'm going to get her something for when she wakes up," said Josuke, "She'll probably need some water and painkillers, too."

Crazy Diamond pulled away from Noshi, whose long body barely fit on the couch. Their ankles drooped over one side while their head lolled off of the other side.

Kumari reached up and lifted Noshi's head when she realized the residual blood from their injury would drip backwards into their nose if they stayed in that position.

The movement caused Noshi to stir slightly and moan as they woke up.

"Take it slow, champ," said Kumari, "There's no fight to jump back into."

Even though Noshi felt no pain, their hand reached up to their face as they swore under their breath. The memory was enough to make them cringe.

"That hulking ape..." muttered Noshi, "Does he really think punching someone in the face will get them to do what he wants?"

"It's worked most times." Josuke's voice introduced his return to the foyer as he carried a bottle of water and a packaged bun in his hands. "At least, that's what he's told me."

Noshi tensed and resisted the urge to scurry away. It was then that they noticed that their surroundings were completely unfamiliar. It was definitely a home, but not one they had seen.

"He's cool," reassured Kumari as she took hold of Noshi's hand, "He used his Stand to fix your nose."

Noshi breathed a faint, "Huh?" as they brought their hand up to their face again. They were sure that their nose had been completely shattered, but they didn't even feel the dull ache of a bruise. Their skin was perfectly smooth without a scrape to feel.

"He also yelled at Mr. Oceanman back there," noted Kumari, "Which makes him pretty cool in my book."

Noshi looked up at Josuke, who then spoke up, "Uh, Kumari said that you haven't eaten in a while so I brought a milk bun. I figured you might need painkillers, too, since I probably couldn't get rid of the shock from the hit."

"Th-Thank you…" Noshi said as they awkwardly accepted the items.

The voice in the back of their head told them to stay wary, that the items may be drugged and that this was all a setup. However, the feeling in Noshi's chest said otherwise. It said that Josuke really was just an innocent teenager, and that he hadn't anticipated the situation to spiral out of control the way it had.

"I apologize for what I said earlier," said Noshi, a blush of embarrassment pricking their ears.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry for what Jotaro did," countered Josuke, "He'd never hurt a woman, but he's got some traumatic memories that spring up when he hears certain words."

"Shell-shocked, huh?" questioned Kumari, her tone sympathetic, "Was he a marine?"

"No, it's a long story, but the word "useless" sets him off," explained Josuke, "It's like he's back in that traumatic event."

Noshi's fingers pressed into the milk bun. The portion that had been eaten felt heavy in their stomach as guilt tightened their muscles.

"Dear god…" they said, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," said Josuke, "You couldn't have known. Jotaro knows you couldn't have."

"_Though, I doubt that means he doesn't hold a grudge against her now,_" he thought.

"Josu...ke, Josuke. Am I saying that correctly?" asked Noshi.

The male nodded.

"Josuke, has he asked you to do the same thing?" they asked, "To find that Stand arrow?"

"Not at first. Before that, he asked me to help him find a murderer in this town."

Noshi sighed. "I see, so he really does think being a Joestar is a sort of prophecy," they said with subtle annoyance, "As if there aren't any other bloodlines with inherited Stand abilities in this world…"

Noshi swung their legs over the couch and began to get up. "You're a good guy, Josuke. I mean that. Please stay safe out here," they said, "And thanks again for the help."

Kumari stood up to walk alongside Noshi, but Josuke stopped them. "Wait, where are you going? Aren't you going to stay here?" he asked.

"No, we shouldn't," said Noshi, "If we stay here, we might end up getting ourselves in more trouble, especially with Jotaro involved. For now, I think it's best that we stay separated."

"But aren't you guys just staying in a hotel right now?" asked Josuke, "Jotaro told me about your living situation."

"We'll survive," said Kumari as she briefly scoped the area to make sure she was heading towards the front door, "We always do."

With that, the two let themselves out.

Josuke sighed through his nose after the door shut, utterly lost in terms of their reasoning. They were living a poor man's life in a foreign country. Yet they were willing to decline refuge to avoid Jotaro's request? Josuke knew that he, himself, wasn't very keen on helping Jotaro when he first came to Morioh, but the stakes were drastically different.

"I'd better tell Mom about them in case they change their minds…" Josuke mumbled.

Outside, the duo were walking down the street.

Noshi had passed on the uneaten half of the milk bun over to Kumari, knowing that it would probably be the only food that they could get for free that day.

"Hey," said Kumari as she polished off the last bite, "You think you've set off any Butterfly Effects yet?"

"I doubt it. And I'm kinda hoping that stayed in Ishla," replied Noshi, "On top of everything else, I don't need to worry about every little move I make snowballing into something bizarre."

* * *

Ruhi had only turned her back for a moment, just to pick out the blanket that had gotten tangled in the bush. Once Jyoti saw the basket of mangoes left unattended, they took advantage of the opening.

The sound of tiny scampering alerted the woman at once as she whirled around to see the toddler's figure zooming away.

"Hey! Jyojyo!" Ruhi scolded.

She threw the blanket over the basket as she grumbled, "That child…" and ran off after Jyoti.

Jyoti continued to bob and weave between the trees as they ate the fruit, spitting out pieces of the peel into the dirt to get to the pulp. Ruhi even slipped on one of the pieces and fell, just barely able to catch herself on her hands and knees.

To the average person, this would have been wholeheartedly funny, and to some extent, it was. But this was Ishla, a risky place to live and an even riskier place to raise a child. If Jyoti got too far from their mother, they might not see each other again.

"Jyojyo!" irately called Ruhi, "Get back here!"

The child giggled as they looked back at their mother, but was stopped when a peel slid under their own foot.

Jyoti fell forward, face hitting the soft dirt with a dull thud and a grunt. The half-eaten mango flew from their hands and into the lap of a man who had witnessed the blunder from his seat near the river.

He covered the snort that came from his nose when he tried to stifle his laughter.

"H-Hey, kiddo…" He swallowed to try to push the chuckles from away his voice. "Are you hurt…?"

"He's fine," panted Ruhi as she strut up to the toddler with her hands on her hips, "He just has a hard time listening to his mom."

The man admired the woman as she picked up the toddler. Her thin eyes looked elegant even as they scrutinized Jyoti, and her pursed lips appeared soft in both color and shape. Though, what the man admired the most was the way her side plait seemed to shine almost cobalt blue in the light.

"Oh, uh, hi," the man greeted, standing up from his seated position, "I guess that means you won't want this back?" he asked, pointing to the mango in his hand.

Ruhi looked up and covered her eyes with an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry about that," she laughed.

"No, it's fine," the man laughed back, "I know kids love their sweets, right kiddo?"

Jyoti looked up at the man with the quizzical glare children give most strangers.

Upon seeing Jyoti's face, Ruhi pinched their cheek and said, "Oh now look, you've gotten yourself all dirty." A cheeky smirk crossed her face as she motioned to her own attire. "Serves you right."

"You can wash up in the river," the man said, gesturing behind him, "It's clean enough to wash fruit that you pick, too, whenever the plumbing's not working."

Ruhi sighed in relief. "Thank goodness; that beats having to trudge all the way home to clean up," she said.

The trio washed Jyoti's blanket, face, clothes, and Ruhi's dress in the river while they made idle chatter peppered with sincere laughs and smiles. Even the toddler got comfortable enough to splash around in the water and play with the rocks as the two adults spoke more intimately.

Ruhi was the first to notice the sun begin to set.

"Where did the time go? And I never even got your name," she said.

"Oh, neither did I," bashfully replied the man, "I'm Jodh, and you?"

"Ruhi."

* * *

"He's not going away, is he?"

Jyoti groaned as they hopelessly curled the pillow around their head.

When Jotaro's knuckles rapped against the door the seventh time, the young adult threw the pillow across the room with a sharp, "Alright, alright!" before tossing themself out of bed and marching over to the door.

Kumari sat up in the bed and reached over the now empty space to flick on the lamp on the nightstand.

Jyoti swung open the door and grumbled, "If this is about earlier, can it please wait until tomorrow?" before Jotaro could speak.

"It's not that," he said, "I have a proposition."

Jyoti rubbed the still-forming sleep from the corners of their eyes, and attempted to blink the fog away before answering. "Huh? What is it?"

Jotaro bent forward slightly to meet Jyoti's unsteady gaze, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat himself due to the former's exhaustion. "If you and your friend help us look for the arrow, I'll pay for all of your expenses."

The word "pay" made Kumari step out of the bed.

Jyoti also jolted to attention. "Our expenses? Do you mean our hotel fee?" they asked.

"You wouldn't be staying here. You'd be staying with Josuke until I can find a house to buy."

The silence made Jotaro think that his words didn't reach past Jyoti's tiredness, but it was the exact opposite. Instead, the young adult was busy digesting the claim.

"Is that true?" Kumari's question came with a clap of her hand on Jyoti's shoulder, "You'd buy a house for us to live in, here in Morioh, for the rest of our lives?"

"How would you even be able to do that?" Jyoti asked, shaken out of their stupor.

"The Speedwagon Foundation," Jotaro simply stated, "We'll also pay for your food, clothes, and other things until you can get jobs."

Jyoti looked at Kumari, who then looked back at them.

A third pregnant pause. By now, Jotaro had gotten used to it, but he would have preferred an answer sooner.

Kumari looked at the man briefly, before returning their gaze to Jyoti. "We gotta talk about it," she said as the other nodded "In private."

"Fine by me," said Jotaro, who made no intention of moving from the doorway.

"We won't figure it out by tonight," clarified Jyoti, "Come back tomorrow morning."

With that, Jyoti closed the door and stepped back into the center of the room with Kumari following behind.

Even though they had heard Jotaro's footsteps leave the door, Jyoti still hushed, "He's gotta be bluffing, right?"

"I don't know. That foundation sounds pretty solid since he was able to find out about us," said Kumari, "But still, he could just be a stalker with a fake badge. Josuke could be in on it, too."

Jyoti thought back to the earnest energy they picked up from Josuke. "No, he can't be, unless he's being manipulated?"

"This is a real gamble we've got on our hands," said Kumari.

"And I know we're on thin ice right now, but...damn!" Jyoti swore, gripping the sides of their head in frustration, "If go along with this guy, we're doing exactly what my dad said not to do. If we end up burning my dad's money before we can get jobs, then we'll have nowhere to go. Either way, this entire move to Japan will be for nothing."

Kumari fluffed out her hair and licked her lips. "I think I know a third option," she said.

"Kuma, no. You're better than that."

"What's wrong with a woman using her natural gifts to get by?"

"Just…" Jyoti huffed, their shoulders sagging with stress. "I don't like it. And besides, you saw what he did to my nose. He's clearly not afraid to hit a woman."

"Ah man, you're right. And if I pulled out my Stand to protect myself, he'd just use his." Kumari smirked. "Still, he's kinda cute in a "Not Too Old" way. I'm gonna give it a try."

Jyoti sighed and picked up the pillow from where they had thrown it. "I'm gonna sleep on it, and we'll come up with something tomorrow," they said, as if the second half of that conversation hadn't happened, "Somehow or another, we'll survive. We always do."

* * *

**Yes, Ruhi used masculine pronouns for Jyoti in the flashback. That wasn't just a series of typos. It'll be explained later on in more flashbacks.**


	5. Chapter 5

Once again, Kumari and Noshi had decided to meet at Café Deux Magots to discuss their job findings. Though, with the noise the afternoon crowd of school kids brought, the two began reconsidering their meeting location.

"The city hall is willing to pay three thousand yen an hour if we pick up litter," continued Kumari.

Noshi drummed their fingers across their temple as they murmured rough calculations. "Three thousand...Isn't that only around twenty thousand rupees?" they asked, "That sounds cheap."

"Yeah, and we're staying at an even cheaper hotel," retorted Kumari.

"But remember that we have to save some of the money for food."

"In that case, let's invest in some clothes first." Kumari tugged at her wrinkled sleeve. "We're not gonna get any better jobs looking like the broke foreigners we are," she said.

Noshi glanced at the school girls that passed by them, eagerly discussing which items from the cafe's menu that they would try. The one male companion that was with them wore a uniform that looked familiar to Noshi.

"Hey," they said, "Do you remember what Josuke was wearing when we first met him?"

* * *

"Come on, guys, the test is Friday," whined Koichi.

The other two males had proposed a study break over an hour ago, which kept getting extended by declarations of, "Best two out of three!" and, "Just one more level to break the tie."

The freedom of being able to play video games without Tomoko's watchful eye had gotten to Josuke's head, so much so that neither he nor Okuyasu moved to answer the doorbell when it rang.

Koichi sighed, and sat up from the coffee table upon hearing the third chime, guessing that it could have been Jotaro.

That's why he was slightly surprised when he saw Noshi and Kumari at the door, instead. Though, the two were even more surprised to see Koichi, both because of his stature and unfamiliar face.

"Oh, you must be Jyoti Joestar," he said, looking up at Kumari while also shying at her provocative attire, "Jotaro told me about you."

"Actually, I'm Kumari. She's Jyoti, well, she changed her name to Noshi," Kumari rambled, "It's a long story. Anyway, is Josuke here?"

After being so quickly denied to ask any questions about the confusing names, Koichi stuttered, "Oh, uh, yeah, he's a little busy, but he's here."

He then stepped aside to let the duo inside.

All the while, Noshi thought, "He's wearing the same uniform as Josuke, but isn't he a child? No, maybe he has-what do they call it? Dwarfism? Like Old Man had?"

Their suspicion that Koichi was a classmate was confirmed when they saw Okuyasu adorning the same uniform. Though, neither he nor Josuke were aware of their new guests.

"Whoa, so that's how a TV works?" Kumari marveled, "You actually get to control the story that plays out?"

"Huh, so that's why they call those things "remote controls"," rationalized Noshi as they walked up to Kumari's level, "Josuke, could you pause the story for a minute?"

Having raised their voice above a murmur, Josuke was able to hear them and respond, "We're almost done, Koichi. Just sit tight."

Noshi clicked their tongue, annoyed that their androgynous voice had been confused for the short male's. But Kumari proclaimed, "Yo dude, we've got a favor to ask," before Noshi could correct him.

Her accent and feminine voice caught both males' attentions, Okuyasu peeking over his shoulder in surprise and Josuke pausing the game.

"Oh hey," casually greeted Josuke, "Did you guys change your minds about moving in?"

"No no, we just wanted to ask about your school uniforms," answered Noshi, "More specifically, where to get them."

"And also use your address for job applications," added Kumari.

"Huh? We never talked about that."

"I know, but it just came to mind. Don't worry, Mr. Oceanman won't find out."

While Kumari and Noshi shared this brief exchange, Okuyasu quickly whispered to Josuke, "Hey, is this the hot cousin you were talking about?" to which the other responded, "I didn't say "hot"," with mild irritation.

"Does he have to tell me every time he thinks my family member is attractive?"

Koichi found his opening to join in the conversation with a, "Wait, so you two are enrolling into the school?"

"No, we just need to blend in better," said Noshi, "Right now, we're not getting very good attention from anyone in these outfits, especially any employers."

"Hold on, you're gonna pose as teens?" asked Okuyasu, "How old are you guys?"

"Seventeen," answered Noshi.

"Eighteen," answered Kumari.

Okuyasu sputtered, "You're kidding me!"

"I thought I told you already," absent-mindedly said Josuke, who then stood up and stretched, "Anyway, we can get some uniforms at the mall down the street. I want to stop there, too, and get some new pins I saw the other day."

"Oh! And we gotta check out the arcade for the new game they're setting up!" piped Okuyasu.

"Guys, we still have all this work to do," sighed Koichi, "I mean, we can get the uniforms for Kumari and Noshi, but we can't spend the whole day there."

Josuke held his hand up to his ear. "Okuyasu, do you hear something?"

The other mirrored his actions. "Must be the wind."

* * *

Noshi and Kumari walked alongside Koichi, following Okuyasu and Josuke's figures as they spoke animatedly about the ever-expanding list of things they planned to do at the mall.

Kumari gave a dry chuckle. "Looks like our little favor flipped a switch," she said.

"Sorry about getting you dragged out here," Noshi said to Koichi.

"It's not your fault," he responded with a meek smile, "They probably would have stayed inside playing their video game until midnight if you didn't come."

"What's the subject you guys were working on before we showed up?" asked Noshi, "I might be able to help."

"Literature."

Noshi smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

The teens gave out a unanimous groan the resonated around the debilitated library.

"You serious, Old Man? How could he not see that coming?" griped the brash boy known as Vineet.

"That blind cat by the sandy lot is smarter than this guy!" insulted his girlfriend, Saryu.

Jyoti, Kumari, and Krishna sat between them in an arc formation in front of their reader, Waazir. Though, he had adopted the title of "Old Man" by them after their first few visits.

The small elderly man gave a wheezing laugh upon hearing his audience's response, smacking his calloused hand against the yellowed book page as he coughed.

"You're damn right he is!" he guffawed, "I would've been disappointed in you brats if you didn't react this way!"

"Well who wouldn't?" challenged Kumari, "He was way too trusting of that lady. Even if she didn't do anything obvious, her whole energy was off."

"Her energy, huh?" huffed the elderly man, "That's rich coming from someone who saw this dwarf of an old man living alone in this run-down library and thought, "What a perfect place to hang out and get high!"."

"Well duh, it was five kids against one crotchety old dude," Vineet bragged, "We coulda chased you outta here."

Waazir motioned for Vineet to pass him the blunt her holding between his fingers. "Shit, you think a couple of baby-faced street rats could scare me?" He took a long drag before finishing with an even deeper voice. "You brats are just lucky you had a decent brand."

* * *

"You don't have to pay me back, seriously," declined Josuke with a wave of his hands.

Noshi scoffed, "Of course I will. It might take me a little bit of time, but I'll be sure to do it. You really helped us a lot today."

"Just by getting you uniforms?" asked Josuke, "I mean, you could still move in with…"

He trailed off as Jyoti was already subtly shaking their head. "I appreciate it, but I'm really not in a good position to," they said, "Moving in would mean accepting Jotaro's offer, and that would defeat the purpose of moving to Morioh."

"You said you moved here to avoid getting in danger, right?" asked Josuke.

"Right," said Noshi.

Josuke thought to object, but then he caught sight of Okuyasu across the store, who seemed completely enraptured in whatever Kumari had to say to him. Josuke thought about how close he was to losing him that day he fought Kira. Some days, he would even have nightmares of holding his best friend's cold body.

Josuke swallowed hard. "I get it," he said.

"By the way, Josuke," started Noshi, "Does the rest of your-uh, our family know I'm here?"

Snapped out of his gloomy haze, the male answered, "No, just Jotaro."

Noshi's eyes widened at Josuke. "You were going to have Kumari and I move in without your parents knowing?"

Josuke fumbled for an excuse, giving a weak, "Well, I thought about telling my mom, but…"

"Come on, I know you want to be hospitable, but don't be so hasty. That's how you start unnecessary conflict."

The way Noshi huffed and crossed their arms as they said this once again reminded Josuke of an elder's discipline, which greatly clashed with the high school uniform they were now wearing.

"Fine, I'll tell her you guys are in town when she gets home tonight," he gave in, "But don't expect me to tell her about Kumari's Stand."

"Is your mom not a Stand user?" asked Noshi, to which Josuke shook his head.

"We'll talk about our family lines, later," he said, "Right now, I think Okuyasu's ready to check the arcade."

The man in question, accompanied by Koichi and Kumari, was walking towards Josuke with an eager grin.

"Hey Josuke, Kumari says they've seen video games before back where they lived. We gotta show them the arcade!"

"Huh? Are you serious?!" Josuke gasped, looking between his friend and cousin for confirmation.

In return, Noshi spared a confused glance as they murmured "Vi...deo...what?"

Kumari held up a small translation dictionary with a thumb between the pages. "Yeah I looked it up and I still don't get it."

"Koichi, now you see why it's so important that we go to the arcade, right?!" fervently asked Okuyasu.

"But guys-!" began the silver-haired boy.

"It's a cultural experience and quality family time," interrupted Josuke as he began to usher Noshi out of the store, "You wouldn't wanna deprive Noshi and Kumari from that, would you?"

Despite Koichi's protests, Kumari and Noshi allowed themselves, again, to be led by the two excited boys, settling their apprehensions with a simple exchange.

"I still have no idea what they're going on about."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna spoil their fun. Let's just go with it."

* * *

In one hand of the albino man was a white cane catching any changes in the concrete beneath his feet.

In the other hand was a leash being pulled by a gruff canine whose gold collar tag had "GABRIEL" embedded into its surface.

As opposed to his cheerily humming owner, Gabriel's brow was set in a no-nonsense fashion as he sniffed around him. His expression only grew even more determined as he began to veer off into a grassy slope.

A mild, "Whoa there," slipped past the owner's lips as he followed his dog, checking the new terrain more actively than before with his cane.

Below, a large pipe leading to the sewers was flowing into a stream. Thankfully for both the dog and the man, the water had been filtered by this point and did not turn away either with an insufferable odor.

Once reaching the edge of the stream, Gabriel pawed at a shiny object just below the surface and reached for it with his teeth.

He then turned and dropped in on his owner's shoe.

The man could hear the clink and well as feel the tap as it bounced off of the leather. It was a coin, he knew.

A Stand coin.

The man stooped down, folding over one of the bags he had intended to use to pick up his dog's filth over his hand, and picked up the coin.

"Now that's interesting," he mused, "A Stand that can leave its user behind?"

He turned it between his fingers. "No, it's still connected to them. It's just meant to be taken far distances."

A grin stretched across his pale face. "I'm sure they won't mind, then, if I pay them a visit."

* * *

**Oh no, a dog in the JJBA world.**


End file.
